Describing any new homes as "affordable housing" is always going to lead to gasps of astonishment once the price tag is spotted.

The government's definition when it comes to renting is that affordable homes should cost no more than 80% of the average local market rent.

When it comes to home ownership, it is more complicated but mortgage payments should certainly be below market levels.

But whatever the official definitions, everyone will have there own idea on what is and isn't within the capabilities of their bank accounts.

So when London mayor Sadiq Khan proudly announced this week that he had approved plans for a new tower block close to East Croydon station he must have known he was playing with fire when he announced its homes would be "genuinely affordable".

The mayor seemed pretty please to reveal that the development on Addiscombe Grove, which will contain 153 micro-flats, will be going ahead.

With a link to a story confirming approval had been granted, he tweeted:

"Genuinely affordable homes that are sold to local people first - this week I've given a new Croydon scheme with up to 100% affordable housing the green light."

Of course, Twitter followers aren't known for holding back.

And it was perhaps inevitable that there was no shortage of scepticism about how affordable the homes actually are.

The article attached to the mayor's tweet explained: "The homes being delivered in this scheme for discounted market sale are affordable with a 5 per cent deposit to households with a salary of £39,000, and they can only be sold to residents and workers in the borough."

Twitter users were quick to point out that plenty of households won't be on a combined salary of £39,000 - and that for those looking to buy on their own that salary would be out of reach for the majority.

Twitter user @w_weinstein was quick to ask: "We seem to have moved on from 'affordable' to 'genuinely affordable'. Can you please define either?"

Another, @trojjer, joined in and asked: "Ha ha, what's the definition of 'affordable'? £250k for one bedroom?"

A CGI impression of how the new tower block will look (Image: AVR London)

Twitter user Rachel Coombs seemed dumbfounded by the suggestion the homes would be affordable.

She wrote: "Affordable? A salary of £39k a year? Really? [It] doesn’t say how much the 5% deposit equates to either."

"Affordable for who, how about a single male on a minimum wage of £7.50?" asked Clive Roper.

The plans for the development include 70 per cent of the homes going to first-time buyers, who will be able to buy at a discount below the market price.

The proposal that the homes would be sold to local residents also provoked plenty of debate, with a number of comments expressing doubt as to whether this would be a promise the mayor would be able to keep.

A number of people were sceptical over whether the homes would be given to local people (Image: Twitter)

"Make sure it is genuine Londoners not just folk who work there," said John Rushton.

And Mark Soft added: "There’s no local people left. They all left."

Dates for the start of the development and when it will be finished have not yet been released.

What are the proposed plans?

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has given the go-ahead for the new development (Image: Lauren Hurley/PA Wire)

The plans proposed by Pocket Housing are for 153 micro-flats to be built at the site on Addiscombe Grove.

The development will consist of a building with three connecting blocks – one with nine storeys, one with 20 storeys and another with 21 storeys.

The development will include 112 one-bedroom, 39 two-bedroom and two three-bedroom flats.

Pocket specialises in small apartments for first-time buyers.

The development will have ground-floor parking for 198 bicycles, as well as six disabled parking bays – but the exact number of other parking bays included has not yet been announced.

An artist's impression of how the rooftop terrace and garden on floor 21 could look (Image: Pocket)

A communal lounge, “break-out spaces” and three rooftop terraces are also included in the plans.

A planning statement for the development stated: "Pocket homes are typically one-bedroom units at 38sqm in area and are designed to make maximum use of the space provided through the use of space-saving and energy-efficient design and technology such as large windows to maximise natural daylight."

When the plans went before Croydon Council's planning committee, Councillor Paul Scott, the chair of the committee, told members how he was "pleasantly surprised" when he went with Councillor Joy Prince to see an example of the sort of flat that will be built there.

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"When we did go and visit, it was apparent that the size of the flats felt reasonably generous,” he said.

"They were well-laid out and I think we were both quite pleasantly surprised at what we saw.

"I think we are likely to see more of this type of development to come in the coming years."

The tower block will be 21 storeys tall at its highest point (Image: Pocket)

While no completion date has been given for the development a planning condition states work must start within three years.

The approval of the plans comes more than two years after the first application to build flats on the site was made by developer The Oakwood Group in October 2015.

The original plans were for 74 flats in a building which was partly 12 storey and partly eight storey. Permission was granted but the site was then purchased by Pocket.

Marc Vlessing, CEO of Pocket Living, said: "We’re delighted that the mayor has approved our exciting first scheme in Croydon.

"At Pocket, we always aspire to lead the way. Addiscombe Grove is a great example of this, where we are aiming to use modular construction to deliver homes faster and increase the genuinely affordable housing provided from 73% to 100%."